Laodicea Asia Minor Dear Brethren, I Know Your Deeds, That You Are Neither Cold Nor Hot; I Would That You Were Cold Or Hot

The Letters to the 7 Churches of Asia The Church Laodicea Asia Minor Dear Brethren, I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eyesalve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Lovingly, The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation Revelation 3:14-22 of God EACH OF these letters to the seven churches has THE CITY had a different emphasis. In the letter to the church Forty miles southeast of Philadelphia, three at Ephesus, the emphasis was the importance of famous cities clustered in the valley of the river returning to its first love. The church at Smyrna Lycus. To the north of the river was the city of was warned against compromising and told to be Hierapolis; to the south of the river were the ready to suffer. The emphasis in the letter to the cities of Laodicea and Colossae, about ten miles church at Pergamum was the need to champion apart. Laodicea was founded about the middle the truth in the face of error that was all around of the third century B.C. by Antiochus II and them. The Christians at Thyatira were told to fol- named for his wife, Laodice. low righteousness even in the face of evil. The Laodicea was the location of a very famous emphasis in the letter to the brethren at Sardis was health resort. Hot mineral springs found in the they should be on the inside what they appear to be area were reputed to be soothing and restora- on the outside. The letter to the church in Philadel- tive. The famous medical center there was the phia stressed the open door of opportunity to source of a well-known Phrygian eye salve which evangelize that was available to them in spite of was in great demand. their size. To the church at Laodicea, the emphasis Having access to a fine soft wool from the will be a combination of strong denunciation of black sheep of the valley, the city was famous for their complacency and loving appeal for its wool industry. Because of its commercial wholeheartedness. This letter is one of the sternest, prosperity, its health resort, and the medical if not the sternest, of the seven letters. facilities, Laodicea was a popular place for 1 wealthy people to retire. Those things combined first and then He created everything else. This to make the city a famous banking center. word does not mean that. Arche means “source The wealth of the city caused her to be proud or origin.” Jesus is the source or origin of all and self-sufficient, so much so that in A.D. 60 creation. In Colossians 1:15ff., Paul wrote that when she suffered a severe earthquake, she re- Jesus is preeminent over all creation, all things fused any outside help in rebuilding the city. We being created in Him, through Him, and unto will see that pride, self-sufficiency and depen- Him. John expressed the same truth in John 1:3: dence upon material wealth were big factors in “All things came into being by Him, and apart the Lord’s denunciation of the Laodicean church. from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” This is Jesus who is true, who The Church at Laodicea is the very source or origin of all things that God The church at Laodice is mentioned in Colos- has created, who is speaking and writing these sians 4:16. Paul apparently had written letters to words. both the church at Colossae and at Laodicea, and in his closing in the letter to the Colossians, he THE CONDEMNATION (3:15, 17) instructed that the two churches exchange and The Lord has no words of commendation for read each other’s letters. the church at Laodicea. Even this first phrase, “I The congregation at Laodicea was not in- know your deeds,” cannot be understood as fected with the poison of a specific sin, nor was words of commendation as they were to the it troubled with either heretics or persecution. church at Ephesus when He told them He knew Laodicea had one problem and one problem their deeds, toil, and perseverance (2:2). alone—she was halfhearted in her devotion to God. This letter has within it an important lesson Their Lukewarmness for the twentieth-century church. He gets swiftly to the point: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold [that is, icy cold] THE SALUTATION AND nor hot [the word means burning hot]; . Be- SELF-DESIGNATION (3:14) cause you are lukewarm, . I will spit you out of This letter opens, as do the others, with a My mouth.” phrase that identifies the writer: “The Amen, the This vivid portrayal has long been inter- faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the preted against the local background. Hierapolis, creation of God.” six miles across the Lycus valley from Laodicea, The word “amen” affirms a statement as was famous for its hot springs. The waters flowed being absolutely true, absolutely reliable. We over a wide plateau and were lukewarm by the are familiar with statements of Jesus that begin, time they reached the edge. The waters were “Verily, verily,” or “Truly, truly.” In the original considered medicinal and beneficial while they language it is “Amen, amen”—coming from He- were hot but were nauseating when they were brew to Greek to English untranslated. We use lukewarm. “amen” to close prayers, affirming the truth of The adjectives “hot” and “cold” are not to be what has been expressed. Sometimes a preacher’s taken as describing spiritual fervor or lack of audience will say “amen” to indicate agreement fervor. The contrast is between the medicinal with what has been said. waters of Hierapolis and the cold pure waters of Jesus refers to Himself as “the Amen.” In Colossae, another neighboring city. The hot wa- John 14:6 He said He was the way, the truth, and ters were healing, the cold waters refreshing— the life. Jesus is not only the One who speaks the both having value to those who drank them. The truth, He is the Truth itself. The idea is further church in Laodicea “was providing neither re- expanded and defined by the phrase “the faith- freshment for the spiritually weary, nor healing ful and true Witness.” for the spiritually sick. It was totally ineffective, “Beginning” is not the best understanding and thus distasteful to its Lord.”1 This explana- of the Greek word arche. Some people in the tion solves the problem of why the Lord would religious world have taken this passage along prefer a church to be “cold” rather than “luke- with a few others to teach that Jesus was created warm.” 2 Their Claims But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires The Laodiceans claimed to be rich, to have which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For gotten riches, and to have need of nothing (3:17). the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and They were finding their security in their wealth; some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a they were complacent, self-satisfied, and self- pang. sufficient. Not only were they smug in their trust Instruct those who are rich in this present world in material wealth; they also arrogantly claimed not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the to have accomplished it themselves, needing noth- uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them ing more than what they had been able to gain. to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous Jesus’ parable of the rich fool speaks to the and ready to share, storing up for themselves the attitude of the Laodiceans (Luke 12:16-21). The treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed rich fool, taking credit for the bounty and trust- (1 Timothy 6:9, 10, 17-19). ing it as his security, was also smug, complacent, and self-satisfied as he contemplated his wealth. The mere possession of wealth did not get His wealth did him no good when his soul was the Laodiceans in trouble. But their hope was set required, and that is to be the end of all who lay on their material riches instead of on God.

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